Slum Girl Soccer: INCAA Grant Won!

Slum Girl Soccer (Goles y Metas) has just been declared “of interest” by the INCAA, the Argentine Film Board. This will enable myself and my co-director/producer Gabriel Balanovsky to keep filming. We now have more than half of the financing in place, thanks to the INCAA. Now with this official stamp of approval, we are going to do a full press to look for sponsors who want to be associated with a documentary that tells the story of a group of young girls who use soccer (football) to learn how to go from victims to champions.

We are going to make a feature length film in HD that is broadcast ready that uses colorful images, music and moving stories to take viewers to a world that few dare to enter: the Villa 31, one of Buenos Aires´s largest and oldest shantytowns.

To see our latest cut of our work in progress:

http://www.santelmoproductions.com/en/#/portfolio/goals_for_girls

San Telmo Productions Website: Cool New Feature

Due to popular demand, we have now added unique URLs (that´s web address, for all you non-techies) to our videos in our portfolio section of our website. No more scrolling to find what you want, and you can send your favorite videos to friends and contacts.

For example:

http://www.santelmoproductions.com/en/#/portfolio/goals_for_girls

sends you directly to our short documentary about girls who play soccer (football) in the Villa 31 slum in Buenos Aires.

http://www.santelmoproductions.com/en/#/portfolio/malaleche

Sends you to a short film about a woman seeking a really gross revenge on her boyfriend.

So pass it along!

Robert McKee, the Master of Story, in Argentina

If you´ve seen “Adaptation” or attempted to write a screenplay, you know who Robert McKee is–a charismatic teacher of the principles of what makes a script work. His lectures are 4 day marathons of movie structure, peppered with antidotes and pearls of wisdom. Not that I know personally–I can´t cough up the 2100 pesos (about $600 dollars, or roughly a month´s wage for most) to go. But Robert McKee did hold a free talk with local filmmaker Eliseo Subiela in a crammed auditorium in the Universidad de Buenos Aires.

McKee praised Argentine films for showing a dark side of life that Hollywood doesn´t like to show, and mentioned that politics and coming of age stories are two themes that are prominent. When Subiela asked McKee if a commercial film could be considered art (one of the raging debates in Argentine films–should movies be artistic visions of the director or commodities), McKee responded that a director or scriptwriter has the obligation to get the investors´money back, so that he or she can keep on making movies. What is “art” is decided 50 years later–Hitchcock is considered to be an artist today, but his movies at the time were considered to be commercial products.

I hope that McKee´s visit to Argentina will be a small step in creating acceptance among local filmmakers that commercial films can be artistic, and vice versa.

Ginger Gentile and San Telmo Productions Featured in “The Argentimes”

Buenos Aires youth orriented English Language Newspaper, the Argentimes, is running a story about me and San Telmo Productions in their “Ex-Pat” files section. It was great to sit down and talk with reporter Kelsey Marie Bell about machismo, my views on sex in cinema (there´s too much nudity and not enough conversation about female sexuality) and our latest projects, “The Hooker & the Transvestite” and “Slum Girls Soccer“.  Always interesting to see how such a long conversation gets boiled down into a few paragraphs!

Here´s a taste of the article:

Do you actively try to draw attention to these kinds of social issues?

Definitely, but we want to do it in a way that is palatable. One thing that we want to bring to Argentine cinema is show these horrible life situations in a funny or entertaining way. There are topics that we’re interested in that have harsh realities, but we want to tell the story in a way that the people involved aren’t victims. When you put someone in the role as a victim, you dehumanise them.

To read more:

http://www.theargentimes.com/culture/balives/ginger-gentile-film-producer-/

Behind the scenes video of “The Hooker & the Transvestite 2″

Behind the scenes of “The Hooker & the Transvestite” Episode 2 (La Puta y la Travesti). Actors Lola Berthet, Luis Machín and Luís Aponte, a crew of 25 and DoP Jorge Crespo braved freezing cold temperatures to film the second part of a short film for the Filmaka “Hard Times” contest. Directed by Gabriel Balanovsky and Ginger Gentile. Making of and photography by David Castre Bravo.

It´s a Wrap: The Hooker & The Transvestite

Luis Aponte and Lola Berthet

The filming on Friday night was a great success: our crew of 25, plus actors Lola Berthet, Luis Aponte and Luis Machín braved the cold to produce one really funny short for the filmaka contest: The Hooker & The Transvestite. Our Director of Photography, Jorge Crespo, lit up over 1000 square meters of park for a dramatic scene (and coordinated that they turn off and on with the camera rolling). The photography he captured on the his Sony HD camera using a 35mm lens is incredible, he really got that film look.

We are now running around to finish the post production. This means the following:

1) Downloading the material to be edited (for a three minute finished product we filmed about 30 mintues of material).

2) Editing, and re-editing, the short until it´s  just right (in this case we are under a lot of time constraints, normally this process can take longer than the two days we had!)

Luis Machín acting drunk

3) The film then is color corrected, in this case by the Director of Photography. Color correction can be a misnomer: more than correcting mistakes, Jorge Crespo changed the color of the lighting and pushed the colors to make them “pop” as they should in a comedy.

4) Charlie Yusim, who also composed the music for Gabriel Balanovsky´s “Enjaulado” and a fashion commercial that he produced, creates an original score, in this case very Tim Burtonesque.

5) Gaspar Scheuer, of Ñandu Sonido, one of the best sound studios in Argentina, corrects the sound recording and does the final mix when the music is done. 

6) All these elements are placed together, with subtitles and end credits. Done!

(All Photos were taken by David Castre)

Lola Berthet was not harmed in the making of this film.

Lola Berthet (the Hooker), Luis Machín (the Drunk), Luis Aponte (the Transvestite)

It takes a lot of lights to light up a park at night!

Co-directors Ginger Gentile and Gabriel Balanovsky check a shot in the Sony HD camera with 35mm lens with DoP Jorge Crespo

The traveling track is ready.

The actors battle the cold!

Isn´t life a drag?

The HD monitor waits while lights are put in place (only about 30% of what we used is in this photo).

First Press Mention for San Telmo Productions

This Sunday the Buenos Aires Herald, the oldest English language newspaper in BsAs, wrote a story about the soccer team in Villa 31 Retiro that we are making a documentary about, and a photo of ours was used in the spead and Gabriel Balanovsky, San Telmo Productions Co-founder, was quoted. I´m so happy that more people are going to learn about the girls!

You can donate at www.helpargentina.org

So far we have filmed three times in the Villa, or shantytown, and accompanied the girls during the Evita Games championships. Our goal is to produce a 5-10 minute documentary that tells how these girls play a game that until recently was considered to be for boys only. Allie Lasser, from California, founded the team and will serve as our link between the girls and the US audience.

These girls are probably the most famous soccer team in BsAs–some of the girls have told me that they have been interviewed a few times already. The biggest surprise–a lot of them also study theater, dance and art.

It´s not as sexist as you think

One of the most pervasive stereotypes about Argentina is that it is a very “machista” or sexist culture. I think a more appropriate adjective would be “sexualized” culture. There is no puritan guilt attatched to thinking about sex, talking about sex, or even having sex! Women are expected to dress sexy and men are expected to make comments on said women´s bodies. But, does this put women at a disadvantage in the business world?
I don´t think so.
In film and tv, it is common to see female set electricians doing all the heavy lifting and wiring that their male counterparts do (and I´ve been told that they even get work more easily than some men, because “it´s cool” to have a female electrician). Almost half of all film and tv jobs are filled by women, and I´ve never come across problems when I had to give orders to male crew members as a director.
At a TV production company where I worked as a screenwriter, the ex-owner/founder famously remarked that he prefers to work only with men, because he finds women to be “hysterical”. One of my bosses sometimes made comments that would get a man sued in the USA. But the actual work environment was quite friendly, half of my co-workers were women and at least 40% of all executives were women.
Appearances can be deceiving!

Filming Tradition Day in San Antonio de Areco

Gabriel Balanovsky is interviewing, Ginger Gentile is filming, Zulma Berardino is doing sound and Gary Parker, the Producer, is looking on. Photo by Daniela Java

On November 8th and 9th, San Telmo Productions went to San Antonio de Areco, about an hour outside of Buenos Aires but a world away from the hustle and bustle of the city. We went to capture the unique gaucho traditions on display at the annual tradition day festival, which features rodeo competitions and a parade. But for the locals, it is a chance to show off their horses and horse riding skills (as well as cool clothes).

It was amazing to see hundreds of newly broken-in horses enter the ring, each small group led by a gaucho.  After all the guachos parade them past the juding stand (where they are judged on health and apperance), the gauchos stampede them through the ring, and then heard them togehter again. Hundreds of horses running around, is quite a site to capture on video!

And it got us thinking. . . why not take advantage of all this beautiful scenery, horses and gauchos as the backdrop to a fiction film? A similar technique was used in Mira Nair´s “Salaam Bombay!” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096028/

when she filmed a pivital scene in the middle of a festival–the thousands of people you see are not extras, they are really participating in a street festival.

But enough dreaming. . . we also interviewed quite a few gauchos about the knives that they all wear tucked into the back of their belts. While they were once used for self-defense, now the guachos call the cops when they have a problem! San Antonio de Areco is a center for traditional knife making, and the crew spent the night at a beautiful quinta (small country house with a pool) owned by the Draghi family, the leading silversmiths in the town.

http://sanantoniodeareco.com/publicidades/turismo/paradoresdraghi/

One sad note, while we filmed a lot of women on horseback, no woman participated in the contests. Hope that will change soon!

See the shoot´s photographer´s blog at http://danielajava.blogspot.com/

Girl´s Football: the book

Just got back from filming Mónica Santino, the coach of the girls´soccer team in Villa 31 (shantytown) that we are filming, talk at the presentation of the first book about female soccer in Argentina. She gave a great speech, and the excitement was increased by the unique stage craft–the panal was seated behind a wire fence, just like soccer players play behind fences to protect them from hooligans. We hope that the documentary will allow Mónica to fight to get more rights for female soccer players in Argentina. She is hoping to copy title 9 legislation from the US.

She also gave us a heads up–next weekend the girls will be playing a game in the famous Boca Jr stadium (not the main field, but it´s great news!).

the book in question

behind the camera, behind the fence, Monica!

Web Commercials, Viral Videos & Branded Docs in Argentina

In these tough economic times, many businesses cut back on advertising. However, with consumers looking for greater bargains and doing more comparison shopping, this money saving strategy can end up costing a business in the long term. A solution is to get more bang for your advertising buck, and a great formula is

production in Argentina (Web Commercials, Viral Videos or Branded Docs) + web platform = more viewers at a lower cost

Using English or Spanish speaking actors, a high quality web commercial made in Argentina can look like it was filmed in any part of the world, and the costs associated with web distribution are MUCH lower than buying TV air time.

Below I posted some stats about where to post the ads when finished and how businesses cannot afford to NOT have a web presence:

Google, including YouTube, has a 55.4% share of video viewing visits to on line video site properties among US Internet users. ( Compete , September 2008)

and check out this great article from Slate that talks about how instead of repeating ads, web ads can use the medium to tell stories and draw in viewers, leaving the “hit them over the head with repetition” style of TV commercials in the past.

http://www.slate.com/id/2205121/

Review: 5th Annual BsAs Music Video Festival

OK, disclaimer, this event was organized by a friend, Kikie (and like a lot of my friends down here in BsAs, no idea what his last name is) and he personally invited me to it, but all that withstanding, it rocked! Why? One, free beer (and imported!), two, great location: the Cultural Center of Recoleta, and three, tons of people. (I have to contract Kikie for the next event I organize. . . )

I even loved the silly little animated screen saver that they showed before the videos. . .

The videos themselves ranged from incredible to awful, and this was the best that we saw, a just a sample of some of the great talent coming out of Argentina:

It´s a wrap: last film shoot in Villa 31 (Retiro Shantytown)

Girls in Villa 31 break during a game to pose for the camera.

OK, so you never know when it´s over when you´re shooting a documentary. Maybe we´ll go back to film some more, but for now, we got all the coverage we need for our documentary on a girl´s soccer team in Villa 31 de Retiro–a shantytown with thousands of people right next to the richest neighborhood in Buenos Aires. Honestly, I´d love to keep going back and perhaps in the future we´ll do a video project with the girls–we are already talking about getting them to write a cumbia song about being female soccer players.

Hand-built 4 and 5 floor houses surround the soccer field in Villa 31.

So, our last shoot was a practice session, which started out great–the girls got to play in the dirt field with no problems for about an hour. Then, the men came and started playing “over” the girls and pushing the to a smaller and smaller portion of the field. No rude words, just the casual pressure of knowing that they are bigger and that they are more numerous than the girls.

This is one reason why the NGO that sponsors the program is looking for funding to build a soccer field just for the girls, so that they can practice in safe conditions. Beyond that, the prospects look bright for the girls: they are playing against other teams all over the city and next year Mónica Santino, the trainer, is going to start a women´s soccer championship in the villa.

Gabriel Balanovsky films in Villa 31. Mural of assassinated priest Father Mugica looks on.

Girls play against another team in Villa 31

Filming Factory for Luxury Brand Website

Yesterday, my intrepid partner and producer, Gabriel Balanovsky, and I along with Feddy, the director of

Director of Photography and assistant plan next shot

photography, shot the Gattorna factory located on the edge of Buenos Aires. This shoot was a lot of fun, not just because the folks at the factory treated us great, but because we got to use lights (a rare occurance in the documentary world) and use a camera that is new to us, the PanasonicGX 100 (P2). This camera uses memory cards instead of cassette tapes to record video. After the memory card is filled, you either swich cards or download directly to a laptop (which we did). The advantage is that you have much higher video quality, and later transfers are much quicker. Instead of capturing from a cassette onto an editing bay (which has to be done in real time), the files are imported directly into the editing program, which takes about half of real time. And the clips are already named and sorted, instead of capturing one big hunk of video.
But I digress. . . So what did we shoot exactly? First, an interview with the owner, with the machines as a backdrop. Then we captured how they make the various products: replicas of antique wine openers, in which we used some very simple methods t o beautifully light the products. I often think that if I decide to film in the first world one day, my experience filming in Argentina will have taught me how to make the best with very little. Here, we use styrofoam boards, chicken wire and black construction paper to make movie magic, instead of propper tools. And guess what: same results, at 10% of the cost.

Lights, styrofoam, holding a background by hand, action!

Painting with light.

New Year´s Wishes. . . ¡Felices Fiestas!

San Telmo Productions

The New Year is fast upon us and San Telmo Productions is ready to pop the champagne bottles with you to celebrate a successful 2008. This year, we have created over 20 web videos as well as documentary shorts for Independent Film Channel and Current TV. We have also finished principal photography for two documentaries, one about a shantytown girl’s soccer team in Villa 31 and another about gaucho culture and crafts. Currently, we have three feature films (two fiction and one documentary) in development. We would like to take time to thank all of our clients and fans for helping us to create great videos for the web, TV, and beyond!

We expect 2009 to be a busy year for us, in part because more companies are turning to web video and web commercials to differentiate themselves in a competitive economy. Also, Argentina is continuing to grow as the chosen location for foreign production crews—you would be surprised how many US TV shows, with English speaking casts, are being filmed here. San Telmo Productions is currently positioning its self to become a leader in producing content for the local and foreign markets. We are expanding our staff and completely redesigning our web site, as well as developing competitive production packages for web and TV commercial shoots.

This is an exciting time for new media: studies are showing that US citizens are watching more and more video on the Internet, and that this is slowly replacing TV watching. More and more businesses in Argentina are realizing that a professionally made video is not just a nice extra to have on their web site—it is a vital part of their marketing campaign. Internet surfers no longer “read” web sites, like newspapers, they now expect to search for, watch and interact with web sites.

To meet this growing need, we are launching new products in 2009:

–2.0 WEB COMMERCIALS—just like a TV commercial, but budgeted and filmed with the web in mind. Many different commercials for one company can be filmed the same day, saving costs.

–VERICAST VIRAL VIDEOS—short videos that impart useful information (such as how to do something) while also encouraging potential clients to use a particular business. These can be filmed on location or in our studio at affordable prices.

These are in addition to our core products, BUSINESS TOUR WEB VIDEO and TV COMMERCIALS.

To help us grow, Davin Rockstad (an Alaskan born expatriate currently pursuing a masters at the prestigious San Andres University in Buenos Aires ) has joined our staff as marketing and sales director. After assisting many film shoots with us, Zulma Berardino is joining us as office manager.

While we know that things slow down for many clients during the summer, San Telmo Productions will be open for business during January and February. So whether you’re ready to go right into production, or just curious how video might work for you, give us a call at  4307 7694 or email us at info@santelmoproductions.com. We love talking about video!

Best Argentine Movie of the year: 4 hours long?

“Historias Extraordinarias” or Extraordinary Stories won the last edition of the BAFICI (Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival) and has been proclaimed the year´s best film by many critics. And it is 245 minutes long (about 4 hours and 20 minutes, counting two intermissions).
Right now it is only playing in one cinema in Buenos Aires, just once a week, to a packed house. This tactic, of just playing in one cinema once a week for a whole year, has actually been successful for other low budget films, and has actually been profitable.
First off, I didn´t fall asleep during the movie, but I wasn´t on the edge of my seat for the entire time either. The first part unfolds like a police mystery in which events are reexamined, and each re-examination causes more doubts to be raised about what exactly happened. This part was very well done: Director Mariano Llinás is a great story teller, with a keen eye for the absurd that lies behind seemingly “normal” interactions. But later in the film, when the plot meanders into stories of love, longing and introspection, it begins to drag. These love stories do not move the story forward and are cliched.
The art direction is very well done, because we meet various characters who are primarily represented with photos and diaries. But the photography–my hats off the the DOPs who shot an entire film without lights (!!!) but really, watching a movie that you can barely see. . .

Over all, there were some great moments in this film, but as an editor, I have to say: CUT!

New mini-doc about yerba mate on Current TV

Our latest documentary for Current TV (a cable station in the US, Canada and Europe) is up! It shows how mate is drunk in Argentina and how it is harvested in Misiones province, as well as the health bennefits. Yerba mate is the national drink here, and I drink it at least twice a day, instead of coffee. This documentary was filmed on location, and once again we used one of our favorite actresses, Laura Rajchman (but she is anything than acting in this, she is a mate adict).

http://current.com/items/89645572/yerba_mate.htm

If you like it, register on Current and vote or leave a comment.

Buenos Aires to host new Latin American Film Market in November 2009 with a little help from Cannes

Today the Argentina National Film Institute, INCAA, announced the creation of a film market for short films, documentaries, features and unfinished films in Buenos Aires, November 2009 (date to be decided, but after the Mar Del Plata Film Festival). With the participation of the Cannes Film Festival, film distributors and television stations from around the world will descend on the city for three days to buy content, launch co-productions and shop for production services. While Argentine production companies have always had a strong presence in Berlin and Cannes, participation has been limited to large production companies who have the budget to travel. The market will be the first in Latin America of such a large scale and will count with the participation of Brazil and Mexico.

INCAA also announced that it will seek to change Argentine law to force more local broadcasters to buy Argentine content, instead of buying US series and movies.

The market will be accompanied by commercial screenings of the best of the Mar Del Plata festival.

In the press conference held today in the ex-Harrolds many of the over 200 producers present expressed enthusiasm but also concern that small production companies will be unable to participate.

Review: A Bathroom for the Pope

Ok, this isn´t about filming in Argentina. It´s about a movie from Uruguay, which although tiny compared to Argentina, has a film industry that belies it´s small population: two years ago, the theme music from “Whisky” won the Oscar for best song. And every once in a while, a real gem comes from this country with less than 1.5 million souls. “Un baño para el papa” or “A bathroom for the pope” is a film that captures the humor and the tragedy of a small town that prepares for the Pope´s visit in 1988. Everyone in the rundown town, including Teto, a small-time smuggler, sees the visit as a way to exit poverty, by selling snacks to the visitors. But Teto has a slightly different idea–to build a bathroom in front of his house and charge for “partial” or “full” service (ie, number one or number two).

The photography casts the town in shades of grey and green and highlights the personality of each character. All the roles are wonderfully acted and the situations, although absurd at times, are completely believable. A truly wonderful film, as reflected by its selection for the Cannes film festival.

“Beef is Bueno” documentary mentioned in Delta In Flight Magazine

http://www.delta-sky.com/sections/index.php/travel/buenos_aires/
If you loved our mini-doc that aired on Current TV about the Argentine Beef Industry, get the full story in this informative article (and a short list of must-eat steak houses in BsAs). Ginger Gentile, co-director, was quoted about the conditions cows enjoy in the pampas.

VARIETY ARTICLE: New Screen Quotas in Argentina Favor Local Films

Argentina stiffens quotas Regulations enacted to protect local films

By CHARLES NEWBERY

Hollywood pics might have a slightly tougher time in Argentina now that the country’s Incaa Film Institute has beefed up exhibition regulations to protect local films. Exhibitors, the biggest of which are foreign multiplexes, must screen local films for at least two weeks. Fines are stiffer for noncompliance, including the closure of plexes for up to 60 days. “We want to increase the domestic exhibition of Argentine cinema,” Incaa prexy Liliana Mazure told Variety. Hollywood dominates B.O. with 80%-85% of admissions, helped by big releases of 120-150 prints in a market of fewer than 1,000 screens. It is a strategy that local producers say squeezes out their pics, which run with fewer than 35 prints. Incaa is providing promotional funding to help exhibs draw more spectators to domestic fare, and organizing a release calendar so homegrown films don’t flood the market any given week. The changes come after the local industry boosted its share of total ticket sales to 11.5% in 2008 from 9% in 2007, largely thanks to the runaway success of the romantic comedy “A Boyfriend for My Wife.” It came second overall with 1.45 admissions, trailing “Kung Fu Panda” with 1.55 million, in a year that ended flat with a total 34.5 million admissions. Not all are certain about the effectiveness of the regulatory changes. “People do or don’t go to the movies because of decisions that don’t have anything to do with regulations, ” said Pablo Bossi, head of leading producer Pampa Films. “Even so, regulations need to exist … to protect the national industry. You can’t have absolute liberty.”

What is a Fixer? (Hint: it´s not a Handyman)

what does a fixer do?

In the TV business, you will often here the term “local fixer” being tossed around. A local fixer basically arranges interviews, location permits, transport, hotels, meals, EVERYTHING that an out of town crew needs to shoot a story.

Writing proposals to NOT play the waiting game

Most people think that filmakers spend long hours filming followed by long hours at the editing bay followed by long hours at swank film festivals, yelling “have your people call my people.” The truth is that most spend long periods of time looking for funding, and I´m no different. I´ve sold short docs to TV networks that took me three days to film and a week to edit, but between pitching and contracts and rewrites, took 6 months to get done. Right now I am working with my production company, San Telmo Productions, on preparing various film proposals for documentaries. Each proprosal involves:

Wipeout worldwide: 1 set=20 TV shows, in as many languages

The surprise hit “Wipeout” on ABC — that game show where contestants are beat up by a water opstacle course) has spawned many, many local versions, ranging from (I´m not making this up) Argentinean, Chilean, Dutch, German, Nordic, British, Croatian, Serbian, French Canadian, English-speaking Canadian, Arab (complete with women in hijab), Turkish, Israeli. . . etc. But other than the US version, all are filmed on a set located an hour outside of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Just look at the Argentinean version–a lot like the US one, on purpose.

NEW YORK TIMES: San Luis Province, new hot spot for Filming In Argentina

PROVINCE OF SAN LUIS

San Luis government’s financing of films creates opportunities for projects that highlight the province’s stunning attributes.

CENTRAL ARGENTINE PROVINCE DRAWS IN THE FILM CROWD WITH ATTRACTIVE INCENTIVE PACKAGES

Several years ago the provincial administration of San Luis embarked on a bold and innovative plan to bring Hollywood to Argentina by offering production companies attractive incentive packages. The plan to make the province a prime South American film destination eventually evolved into law and as of January this year San Luis has co-produced or helped to finance 23 feature films, including director Tristan Bauer’s “Enlightened by Fire”, the Argentine film on the Falklands war that won this year’s Goya Prize for the best Spanish-language foreign film.

The wording of the new law, which got the nod from both of the province’s legislative chambers in 2004, states that the objective is to spur the development of tourism, generate employment and strengthen cultural development at both the local and regional levels. And to show that the province is willing to put its money where its mouth is, San Luis also recently opened a US$2.2 million studio.

Editing on Avid: Girls´ Shantytown Soccer

Ginger Gentile films a game in Villa 31 (Retiro Shantytown) in Buenos Aires

After finishing principal photography on “Shantytown Soccer” (working title) we´ve started editing, and like most of our projects, we are editing on the Avid platform. Unlike Final Cut Pro, it is designed to be used by multiple editors and work on multiple projects at the same time.  But what I like most is that it is actually not “intuative” like Final Cut–by being more difficult, it makes you think before you cut and plan your projects. Avid also encourages the use of the keyboard instead of the mouse, which saves time.

So, what´s the first step of editing a documentary? In this case, we filmed in HDV so we had to capture the media from cassette tapes (newer cameras are using cards more, which means that you can download the media to your editing island in less than real time), then you organized the media, and begin making selections. This for me is always the least interesting part, but with this documentary I am encountering nice surprises all the time. Like when Pamela, a realy talented player, tries to throw the ball back into play and two boys cross her path, not even noticing her. The expression on her face is priceless.

Do you need a film permit or permission to film in Argentina?

It depends on the size of your production. If your filming will not disrupt traffic or a sidewalk, the quick answer is no, you can film in Argentina without a permit. So if it is you with a camera and your assistant, you should have no problems. Attitudes towards public space are much more lax than in the US, and at the most you should hire a local fixer or assistant to make sure the camera doesn´t get stolen (a big problem in some parts of Buenos Aires).
But want to move inside to a museum or public building? National pakr? Or a train station? These situations can get tricky very fast. We had to film in a train station and had to get permission from 5 different companies–one owned the platform, the other the food stand, the other the rails, etc.
Film permits are definately needed for any film shoot where you need to block traffic or sidewalks.
Remember, while these permits are not expensive, they can be a nightmare of redtape and multiple government offices. And you will need a local fixer to help you through it.

Ginger Gentile nominated for “Trippy” award for video on tripfilms.com

Ginger Gentile, co-founder of San Telmo Productions, has been nominated for a “Trippy” award at www.tripfilms.com
so go vote:

http://www.tripfilms.com/polls.sdo?pollID=1

in the category:
JOT THIS DOWN AWARD: Best Travel Planning Video

“Tips and Tricks: Buenos Aires” by Ginger

Ginger Gentile has made 7 travel videos for tripfilms.com as well as over 60 travel videos with production partner Gabriel Balanovsky about Buenos Aires, Patagonia, Mendoza (wine country) and Chile for www.geobeats.com

Filming a travel video in a cafe in Recoleta

Argentina grants intellectual property rights to movie directors

Yesterday, President Christina Ferndandez de Kitchner signed an into law a decree that grants intellectual property rights of finished movies to directors. Since 2004, directors have only been recognized as co-authors of a film, along with the screenwriter and producer. Now, only the Argentine Cinema Directors of (Directores Argentinos Cinematográficos or DAC) will be able to accept and manage applications for intellectual property regarding television and film works.

The signing ceremony was attended by numerous Argentinian directors, the current head of the INCAA, Liliana Mazure. Also, letters from the international directors Arturo Ripstein, Ettore Scola, Alan Parker, Ken Loach y Carlos Saura supporting the law were read.

Review: Seminar on Obtaining Government funding for Documentaries and Movies in Argentina

Yesterday, Gabriel Balanovsky, co-founder of San Telmo Productions, attended a seminar hosted by “Haciendo Cine” –a magazine devoted to helping filmmakers in Argentina–about the new funding guidelines set by the INCAA, the national film board. The seminar was given by renowned producers Verónica Cura and Hugo Castro Fau and gave a glimpse of the exciting new opportunities open to Argentine filmmakers (and their international co-producers).

New Documentary: Gaucho Festival-Horses, knives, dancing and “Chinas”

This short documentary is an exciting look at the beauty of gaucho culture in Argentina. Exciting horsemanship competitions, traditional dancing, beautiful women (called “chinas”), decorated horses, and of course, where ever a gaucho goes, his knife goes with him!

This is a part of a larger documentary we are working on about knife making in Argentina and we are also looking for an opportunity to continue producing documentaries about gauchos.

Short Film “Enjualado” (Encaged) recommended on SoloCortos

“Enjualado” (Encaged) tells a riviting story without dialog in less than 90 seconds. Filmed in 35mm and directed, writen and produced by San Telmo Productions co-founder Gabriel Balanovsky, it has been featured as a recommended short film on www.solocortos.com –Argentina´s premier short film portal.

“The short film was a huge sucess not only because I got an untrained bird to stay still for the tracking shots, but I also got everything donated, from the film stock to the equipment,” said Gabriel Balanovsky.

New Documentary films making knives by hand in Argentina

Gabriel Balanovsky directs the shot.

San Telmo Productions filmed the first part of what will be a feature length documentary about knife making in Argentina. The knife is an indispensable tool for the gaucho (Argentine cowboy), used both to work and to eat the huge cuts of meat the pampas are famous for. Long ago, most gauchos made their own knives by hand, and today a select group of artisans continue this art. Working in hidden workshops, they turn scrap metal into beautiful knives, all by hand. Collectors and chefs from all over the world prize these creations, and it is not uncommon for an Argentine to bring his own knife to an asado, or barbecue.

The first part of the documentary, which is executive produced by Gary Parker, will look at the making of a very special knife is litterally out of this world (details will be revealed in the film!)

Directed and produced by Gabriel Balanovsky, Photography by Jorge Crespo (winner of so many photography awards that I won´t list them here) and edited by Ginger Gentile.  Sound recording and post by Damián Montes Calabro. Filmed in HD.

Jorge Crespo films Guillermo making a knife

Guillermo files down a knife.

A fellow New Yorker directs award winning Tango Documentary

Last night at an asado (barbeque where you eat lots and lots of meat) we met Caroline Neal, NYU film school grad and director of one of the most important tango documentaries in recent memory “Si Sos Brujo”. Over glasses of wine she told us about her interesting story–she decided to film the story of how a young tango musician recruited the great Emilio Balcarce and other old masters to teach tango to a young generation. The drama comes from the fact that these old masters are in their 80s and 90s, and the clock is literally ticking.

What Caroline told me was that she married the subject of the documentary–no, not Emilio the 80 year old, the young Ignacio Varchausky who put the whole project together! She now has a 3 year old with him.

Caroline is definately as passionate about tango as she is about filming and also managed to get INCAA (national film board) funding for her documentary, in spite of being from the US (the board favors local directors).

Argentina Knife Documentary goes into post-production

Well this doesn´t happen very often. . . The exectutive producer for the Argentina Knife documentary approved our first cut (no re-edits!)

Damían adjusts sound levels

and we are now moving into sound mixing. This is the stage where the sound technician “scrubs” the sound, removing any odd noises, low hums, and adjusts the volume levels while making sure the music is just right. Now, to get the sound to sound “great” the key is to start off with well-recorded sound in the first place. Our rule: it can be improved in post, but it can´t be fixed!

After we have a 10 minute short to show, we are going to continue to work on expanding the documentary to an hour long TV format.

New Romantic Comedy: Música en Espera (Elevator Music)

Finally, three of my favorite Argentine actors are together on the big screen: Diego Peretti (they guy with the big nose), Natalia Oreiro (she´s not really pregnant) and Norma Aleandro. I couldn´t find the trailer in English but this small scene looks like it could be understood by anyone.

The plot is basic romantic comedy: Natalia finds herself pregnant and without a man, so she passes off Diego as her boyfriend to her mother. You can guess what happens next. . .

Argentina has its own “First Weekend Club” to support Independent Films

You might have heard about “First Weekend Clubs” in the US and Canada: organized groups of people go to see independent films during their first week in the cinemas. The reason for this is that small films don´t have time to spread by word of mouth–they get yanked if they don´t pull in big profits the first week. Now, Argentina has its own “Club de primer Fin de Semana” that will support Argentine films the same way. They are on face book and have a blog

http://clubdelprimerfindesemana.blogspot.com/

New Features of Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival

This year´s BAFICI (Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival) looks like it finally got its act together. While the festival has always been the premier Argentine event for viewing the best in independent world cinema, it has often been plagued by disorder (programs being distributed after the festival begins, a mad rush for tickets). This year, the festival programs are well organized (with a map of all the cinemas!) and beautifully printed. Finally, going to the festival won´t be the filmlovers´ equivalent of climbing mount Everest.

A newcomer in the programme of the 11th Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival is BAFICITO (literally “little BAFICI”), a new section aimed at children who will face the task of choosing the winning film by the audience vote.

We´ll be going to various talks, events and films and reporting back on what we think, so stay tuned!

“Amanda O” takes soap opera world/online community by storm

So what “telenovela” (soap opera) is all of Argentina talking about? Hint, it´s not on TV. It´s “Amanda O” staring beautiful actress/businesswoman Natalia Oreiro and “galan” (hunk) Luciano Castro. And it is one of the first shows in Argentina to not only be released over the internet and mobile devices, but also work its way into the popular consciousness. No doubt due to its beautiful and talented star, Natalia–she´s one of the few good looking women on TV that you don´t want to hit for being an idiot! And the production values are top rate–beautifully lit, attention to detail.

You can see the complete series at www.novebox.com

The launch is the responsibility of the producer Dori Media Group and will have new elements such as interaction with the viewer. In addition, the series will be available for download on mobile devices.  It is now on its second season.

El Niño Pez (Fishchild) Another hit from Lucia Puenzo

First, young director Lucia Puenzo debuted with a movie, “XXY”, about a transgendered teenager that won critical acclaim. Her second movie “Fishchild” tackles a similar theme–teenage love between girls, one upper class and the other a maid, but instead of the stark realism that defined XXY her new film combines dream sequences, dramatic lighting and art design, and Cumbia (the pulsing music of the lower classes). Leading actress Inés Efron is back, but this time her character is decidedly innocent, feminine and beautiful instead of androgynous and aggressive. This movie was the talk of the Berlin Film Festival, and shows that Lucia Puenzo is more than just the daughter of the director of probably the most famous Argentine movie of all time, “The Official Story” which won Oscar for best foreign language film. She is a talented director willing to move between distinct styles in a short period of time.

Film Schools in Argentina

There are 14,000 film students in Argentina, which means that there are probably 13,500 too many. Especially when you consider that the vast majority want to direct. The film industry (which includes the filming of commercials for TV) generates only about 2000 paid posts per year (and keep in mind, that some of these jobs only last for one day). There are over a dozen film schools in Buenos Aires–too many to list here–but I´ll list the top ones with some personal observations for those thinking about going, or looking to hire an alumni. With some exceptions, most are open admissions, accepting on first come, first served basis (and tend not to give scholarships).

Back to Filming. . .

For the first time ever I´m working on a fiction film shoot where no one smokes cigarettes (I quit last August), which is quite refreshing. Just mate, coffee and streams of white paper that are filled with sketches of each scene we will film (called a story board). We start filming our short film, called “La prostituta y la travesti” on Monday, and the idea is to have everything finished within a week. I like filming this way, with small agile crews and time limits. But everyone on the shoot is super pro and we are filming with the SONY XDCAM, which we used to shoot our documentary on knife making.

We will be working as all co-directors, but each focusing on one aspect: the story idea is mine and I´ll be doing the continuity and co-editing. Gabriel Balanovsky is focusing on the production side, and Synes Elischka (who is visiting us from Austria) will be doing camera and coediting.

Hopefully in a week I will have something to show all of you!

New Art House Cinema Opens in Buenos Aires´Most Dangerous Neighborhood

Constitution is the type of neighborhood any world class city can´t be without: a train station surrounded by bus stations, illegal markets and prostitutes. But the red light district will now be home to a new business: the Complejo Arte Cinema which will feature three movie theaters that will project art movies in 35mm or digital formats. The cinema will also feature a bar and be housed in a beautiful old cinema/theater that for years has served other uses (including showing XXX films).

The project was the brain child of director Daniel Burman and the producers Diego Dubcovsky, Pablo Rovito, Fernando Sokolowicz and José María Morales.

Will the artsy crowd go to a neighborhood down and out to see the latest from Peru or Japan? As overall ticket sales decline in Argentina (in part due to the price being too high for the middle and lower class) this is definitely a bold experiment (although there is a film school, CFP-SICA, just three blocks away). We wish them the best of luck and hope that they will offer cheap tickets so everyone can experience the magic of watching a movie on the big screen.

The Hooker and the Transvestite: It´s a Wrap!

We just finished up filming “La Puta y la Travesti” a short film written, produced and (to be) edited in last than a week. The shoot was a lot of fun and remarkably tension free for a low budget shoot. We even had the cops swing by but they let us keep on shooting as long as we blocked off the road. The actors did a great job with a script that calls for really pushing the envelope: one actor transformed himself into a transvestite with nothing more than a wig and a body stocking!

As soon as the final cut is finished, I´ll post a link. Now I´ve got to get back to editing.

Luis Aponte: Isn´t he lovely?

An important scene.

Filming in Argentina Blog is declared “must read” by Terra.com

One of the most important internet portals in Argentina just declared our blog “FilminginArgentina” as one of the blogs that Argentines should read to get a foreign perspective on their country.

http://deviajes.blog.terra.com.ar/2009/04/13/que-escriben-sobre-nosotros/

(Shameless Self-Promotion)

Argentina Struggles to Ask: Are too Many Movies Made?

Argentina produces more than 60 films annually that are commercially released (the number of super independent productions that don´t make it into cinemas is impossible to calculate, but let´s say, at least 100 more).  Hollywood releases about twice that. In other words, a country with about 10% the population of the US manages to make half the number of films of the largest superpower in the world.

Is this a cause for celebration or a cause for concern?

Great Animation Commercial for Chocolate

I just said to Gabriel that this the best commercial I´ve ever seen. It has been playing for a while but I still love watching it. It has all you need for a great commercial:

catchy music (by the band  “Rosal“) whose lyrics can be roughly translated as: “Your mom must be a pastry chef to make candies as sweet as you. You´re a piece of candy!” This is a common pick up line or “piropo” heard in Argentina.

Beautiful images

A little twist at the end.

“Blood Appears” but will the profits also appear?

“La sangre brota” or “Blood Appears” is Pablo Fendrik´s  second film, and is about a Taxi-driver, Arturo, who experiences a crisis when his two sons need the precious savings he has managed to hold onto, for different reasons. Nahuel Perez Biscayart, a rising star of Argentine cinema, plays Lauturo, his son whose plan to rob his father will have surprising consequences.

This film was featured in Cannes 2008 and received the young critic´s award.

It is just being commercially released in Argentina. I couldn´t find a subtitled version of the trailer (Hey Argentine films, what´s up with that????)

Let´s see if the people agree with the critics and make this commercially successful.

“Tetro”, Francis Ford Coppola´s Argentina Movie, to Premier June 11th in USA

Tetro being filmed in Argentina by Francis Ford Coppola was last year´s biggest news in the Buenos Aires film community–everyone wanted to work on it, and everyone also complained about it. From Francis getting his lap top stolen and loosing his “only copy” of the script (the guy doesn´t make backups?) to reports of the actors union shutting down the set to protest low wages to rumors of heir Sophia shutting down production to celebrate her birthday. . . well, now that is all in the past. What counts is the movie Coppola was able to film. Edited by my favorite editor of all times, Walter Murch (who gave a standing room only talk at a local film school), the trailer definitely is dramatic and poetic. I´m a bit surprised by the look–very low light and on HD, it looks unlike any other of Coppola´s films.  I´m always surprised when people in Argentina speak Spanish on screen, but that´s Hollywood folks. US debut is June 11th: news on it premiering in Argentina is still not available.

Slum Girl Soccer just mentioned on Inspira Travel Blog

Our feature length documentary in the works, Slum Girl Soccer, was just mentioned on the Inspira Travel Blog after meeting with Maren and the wonderful folks and Inspira Travel, a boutique travel agency in Buenos Aires. I was really impressed that an upscale travel agency took so much interest in hearing about the stories of these girls! Goes to show that there is a difference in being a tourist and being a traveler! (extra points if you know what book/movie that distinction comes from):
“In other countries, where women´s team sports are popular and plentiful, the notion of a female soccer team might not be of any interest. Yet in South America, where futbol reigns supreme, there are few female teams, not to mention a complete lack of any women´s professional league. The benefits that come with practicing a team sport - among them, sportsmanship, discipline, support, physical well-being – are many, though the challenges that these young women face make such benefits hard won.” More from Inspira. . .

http://www.inspiratravel.com/

The Hooker & the Tranvestite: Short Film Now Published on Filmaka

Our latest short film was filmed in less than 6 hours with only 5 days of pre-production and a budget of less than $400 pesos (that´s less than 120 dollars!). “The Hooker & the Transvestite” is about a broke young woman who tries to prostitute herself in the transvestite red-light district. Comedy ensues.

I´m not going to embed the video here because I want you to go to the site, watch it, and if you like it, become a member of filmaka and vote. Filmaka is an innovative new portal for young filmmakers to show their work and win funding for future films.  This short film was entered into the contest under the theme “Hard Times”.

http://www.filmaka.com/film.php?film_id=1af6a2ba-862f-102c-ad35-00301b4506f4

Sending you a little bit of love, in the form of a cake

Another great commercial from Argentina, that uses costumed characters to symbolize the simple joy of baking a cake a Saturday Afternoon (sábado a la tarde). I am so stressed today, and this is just what I need: the simple pleasures of childhood.

The music is by the Australian band “Architecture in Helsinki” and the song is called “Do the Whirlwind”

It´s Proposal Time! Slum Girl Soccer gets ready for pitching

It´s the most wonderful time of the year! We´re getting ready to present a lot of proposals for our project “Slum Girl Soccer” a feature length documentary about a girls soccer team in one of the largest shantytowns in Buenos Aires. While we wrapped our first leg of filming last year, we have continued to go back to film with the girls on a variety of occasions. They are very excited about the project and loved the short film that we made that talks about the program itself. Now, we want to go deeper into the issues that these girls face. Some things are improving for them: the team is growing and during a game with a team from Fuerte Apache, a lot of neighbors came out to watch and cheer the girls on.

So what´s in a documentary project proposal? It depends on where you will present it, but they are normally at least 20 pages long and include: treatment (kind of like a summary of the script), background information, aesthetic proposal, filmographies and budget. All of it is a lot of work, but it will be worth it to get the funds we need to tell this fascinating story.

BMW sings “Vamos a Tandil” and chooses Argentina

Ok, I´ll forgive you if you don´t get the reference. . . there is a very popular folk song called “Vamos a Tandil” (Let´s go to Tandil) that sings about the desire to go to this traditional town located where the pampas ends and Patagonia starts . . . low lying, rocky foothills  that give off a special energy . . . cobble stone streets . . . really nice place, just four hours from Buenos Aires. And this British BMW commercial used this unique landscape as a back drop for its latest commercial. Another great example of an ad filmed in Argentina for the international market.

While I like the ad, the message “use a big SUV to drive three hours a day” is not a great one for the planet right now.

Gaucho Documentary: Travel without leaving your house

Here´s a use for a documentary that I never thought of: what about watching a documentary instead of taking travelling? Sound crazy? Well, the ezine “Shoestring” actually recommended watching our documentary instead of going to the pampas. And with the economy not going so well, maybe not that crazy!
http://www.shoestringmag.com/travel/travel-pants-7-day-argentinean-staycation-planner

New Movie Takes us back to 1969 protests in Argentina

May 1969. A month that shook the world with student and worker protests. Argentina was no different. In Rosario, a  river side city about four hours away by car from Buenos Aires, students were inspired by the French protests and took to the streets. “Días de Mayo” (Days of May) was filmed on location in Rosario and in beautiful black and white photography captures the spirit of the times. Director Gustavo Postiglione at times seems a bit too caught up in the aesthetic of the 60s and in the eyes of the characters: for a story about a revolution gone bad, it can seem a bit too melancholic at times. Perhaps because the director cannot forget that many of these characters would either be escaping from or killed by the military dictatorship just seven years later.

Man Vs. Meteorite: Knife Documentary now on-line!

Guillermo at the forge. Photo by Francisco Cauterucci

The latest documentary short from San Telmo Productions has just been released in the US and can be seen on the web:

http://www.artisanalknives.com/index.html

This short documentary is being used by Atlantis Trading to promote the skills of their knife master, Guillermo Mendoza. The documentary follows him making a knife out of meteorite metal, completely by hand, the biggest challenge of his career. He also talks about why making knives by hand is a millennial art and how he learned his trade from his gaucho grandfather.

We are currently developing a feature length documentary on the knife masters of Argentina who combine skill and ingenuity to make some of the finest knives in the world.

New Comercial Filmed in San Telmo! (my neighborhood)

My parents saw this commercial in the states and called me to say that they recognized the streets: Av. Casseros and Defensa. (Triva points: Ernesto “Che” Guevara´s family had an apartment in this street). In the commercial it appears as a European street that opens into an impressionist painting.

I can´t include the video here because they don´t allow embeds (silly drug company!)

http://www.patanase.com/patanase-nasal-spray-video.aspx

Argentina´s Film Union: SICA

If you are planning on filming a movie (for theatrical release or for television) or a commercial, one of the key players you will be dealing with is the film crew union, or SICA (Sindicato de la Industria Cinematográfica). Unlike in other Latin American countries, film crew members are not independent contractors: they need to be contracted with a union approved contract and receive the union´s benefit package (which includes health care, social security, and even discounts on vacations). For commercials, day rates apply but for films, salaries are based on weekly rates.

The union can file law suites against production companies that do not follow their guidelines and prohibit commercial releases in Argentina if union wages are not paid. However, unlike the US, a crew can be made up of union and non-union members, and membership in the union is optional.

One reason many foreign film companies hire local fixers is that if facilitates dealing with the union: as you can see from their website, they don´t speak English!

http://www.sicacine.com.ar/

Hot Locations in Barracas: The New “Cool” Buenos Aires Neighborhood, according to NY TIMES

It´s official. The world has discovered Barracas, a neighborhood on the South side of Buenos Aires, next to San Telmo and la Boca. For years overlooked, this zone has posh high rises and warehouses, busy boulevards and quite cobblestone streets. Now, artists have moved in and are refurbishing the buildings.

Barracas has a lot of great locations for fiction shoots and commercials, and here is a short list of some ideas to get your mouth watering. BONUS: this neighborhood is not filled with film crews like other areas, so neighbors are more willing to help and cut deals on location fees.

Santa Felicitas Church

A beautiful catholic church built in 1879 to honor the tragic death of patrician woman Felicitas Guerrero who was murdered by a spurned lover, it is said to be haunted by her ghost. (In my next post, I will talk about the newly released movie about her life). This church features huge statues of angels on every nook and cranny, who look like they are about to jump off the ledge!

Iglesia Santa Felicitas

Calle Lanín

Begun in 2001 by artist Marino Santamaria, this street has been covered in beautiful paintings, making it a living work of art. Great for a street scene with a twist, or for a love scene between two hipster artists. BONUS: street is quite with little traffic.

Calle Lanín

New York Times Article:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/travel/07surfacing.html

Website of local artist who has turned one Barracas Street into a work of art (literally):

http://www.marino-santamaria.com.ar/

Watch out: Rich Woman Directs Movie about Other Rich Woman

Felicitas. Died a tragic death in the 1870s. Said to haunt a church in Barracas. Very rich, married to rich man, 36 years her senior, but wanted another man, who eventually killed her.

Teresa Constantini. Married a very rich man (maybe you´ve heard of the “Constantini collection” in the MALBA museum). Divorced him. But kept his name. Now she directs movies.

Memo to Teresa: just because you married a rich man doesn´t mean you know how to direct. Uggh!

A Week Alone: New Argentine Movie backed by Scorsese

Argentine cinema has a new golden girl, and her name is Celina Murga. After the critical success of her first film, “Ana y los Otros” (Ana and the Others) she won a grant from Rolex to be mentored by Martin Scorsese who produced her second film, “Una Semana Solos” (A Week Alone). Murga has been the subject of a large number of press mentions in and outside of Argentina due to her relationship with Scorsese and because her first film found it´s way on many local critics´ top ten lists. (It should be noted that many viewers, including me, did not like the film because it had no central conflict: the movie ends the moment before the conflict begins).

The film “A Week Alone” takes place in a posh “private” neighborhood in the outskirts of Buenos Aires. A group of children are left alone by their parents and one of the older girls invites a very cute but very poor boy to stay with them. It is worth a look, as Scorsese himself has praised it, saying that even he “could learn from it”.

And this trailer has English subtitles!

Official website:

http://www.unasemanasolos.com.ar/

“Beef is Bueno” documentary is a hit at New York City Food Film Festival

A short documentary produced by San Telmo Productions, “Beef is Bueno” is a finalist at the New York City Food Film Festival. This four-minute look into what makes Argentine beef the best in the world (hint: grass fed, cared for by gauchos) was produced for Current TV and filmed by Ginger Gentile and Gerardo Brossy. You can see the film in the video gallery to the right of this page.

I´ll let you know how it fairs in the final voting!

http://nycfoodfilmfestival.com/

Film Legend Alejandro Doria Dies, but his Comedies Remain as Fresh as Ever!

Alejandro Doria was one of those rare directors who managed to combine laugh-out-loud comedy with biting criticism of the social constraints of machismo that cause women and men to suffer.

He was best known for two comedies that parody the prejudices and sexism of the Argentine middle class–”Esperando la Carroza” and “100 veces no debo”.  While my take might be considered a bit odd–most Argentines would consider him just to be a comedy director–last night they showed these two films on TV and I couldn´t believe how biting they were. In “100 veces no debo” the leading actress, Andrea del Boca, at 18, declares to her astonished parents that she loves having sex because everything else bores her (the fabulous Norma Alejandro and Luis Brandoni). Strong stuff, especially considering that in the beginning of the movie she was “Daddy´s little girl”:

Watching these two films in particular is like watching an anthropological study on a certain sector of Argentine society, the one that “pays their taxes when there is no way to get out of it” (as the father says in 100 veces no debo), that yells, screams and fights more than any Italian family, that expects women to stay at home and make raviolies BUT is not shocked when these women leave the house to meet up with a lover, that admires the rich uncle who made his money with the mafia, that above all else values family (or at least says it does to the neighbors).

Alejandro Doria died at the age of 72. The best homage that could be paid to him is to make movies that make the audience laugh and reflect.

From Esperando la Corroza, when the family begins to mourn their “dead” grandmother, and fight over the corpse (even though in life, no one wanted to take care of the grandmother).

Documentary Filmaker Pino Solanas Elected to Argentina Congress

Imagine Michael Moore in the US Congress. While that seems impossible, Buenos Aires voters gave a surprising second place finish to famous documentary film director Pino Solanas, who will now head a six person leftist coalition in congress.

Pino Solanas, 73, hails from an upper class home but spent his life making films that take a stance against class injustice and imperialism. But his movies are more than just messages: they are gripping to watch, have won tons of awards and convoke large audiences. Art for the masses.

In 1968 Solanas directed the Latin American Liberation classic “La Hora de los Hornos” (the hour of the ovens), which over 6 hours long details the oppression of the working class at the hands of internal and external forces. It was designed to be used in political discussion groups, and is still shown today in film schools.

Here is  a random insert. The first sentence: The Latin American people are a condemned people.

In the past decade he has turned his lens onto the political and economic collapse of Argentina in  Memoria del Saqueo (2004) (Memory of the Looting), the destruction of the once proud train system in Próxima Estación (2008) (Next Station), and also hightlighed the resources that can rescue a country in decline in Argentina Latente (2007) (Argentina Is Ready).

Pino Solanas heads a party called Proyecto Sur that wants to protect the natural resources of Argentina, nationalize key industries, and restructure the education and health system to provide the care that the poor need. The idea is to return Argentina to its proud past as an industrialized nation in which no child goes hungry.

For more info:

http://www.pinosolanas.com/

From the Buenos Aires Herald:

Updating yesterday’s report on the city elections, we can give the final breakdown of deputies as five PRO, four for the Proyecto Sur of “Pino” Solanas, three for the Civic and Social Accord (including its leader Elisa Carrió, whose seat was in doubt at press time on Sunday) and just Carlos Heller for the Victory Front. At press time on Sunday we had PRO’s lead in doubt in three of the 15 communes but in the end City Mayor’s Mauricio Macri’s party only trailed in the 15th commune (the Paternal/Chacarita area, won by Solanas).
The 60-seat City legislature saw PRO with exactly the same 26-seat total as before with both the Victory Front opposition and single-seat parties losing ground to third parties. Pro-Kirchner legislators slumped from 13 to eight, Solanas erupted into the assembly with eight legislators and the Civic Coalition and ex-mayor Aníbal Ibarra each picked up a seat, rising to eight and five respectively. Only half the 10 single-seat parties now survive.

“Hooker and the Transvestite” wins Filmaka contest!

“The Hooker and the Transvestite”, (La Puta y la Travesti) a short film made with almost no-budget in 5 days by San Telmo Productions, has just been named winner of the “Hard Times” contest hosted by filmaka.com

It was voted one of 18 finalists by the filmaka community. Now directors Ginger Gentile and Gabriel Balanovsky have less than one month and a prize of $1000 dollars to film the sequel, using the same characters and theme.

This second short film will be viewed by a jury made up of some of the biggest movers and shakers in the film industry: Wim Wenders, Werner Herzog, as well as the producer of Che, Laura Bickford, and actor Colin Firth. If chosen as a winner, in addition to cash prizes, the team will enter into negotiations to turn this idea into a web series and compete for feature-length film funding.

Right now San Telmo Productions is building a dream team of Argentine Film technicians to create the best short possible, with a production quality worthy of Hollywood. Our second film will keep telling the story of these two characters, the hooker and the transvestite, who try to find work in order to eat, but keeping comedic tone!

To watch the film:

http://www.filmaka.com/archives.php?search_keywords=hooker#

Film Permits in Buenos Aires

Film permits are necessary in Buenos Aires if you plan on filming with a professional crew that will cause disruption to auto or pedestrian traffic, or if special effects will be used or action happen that can confuse or endanger passersby (for example, an actor uses a gun), or you need to park trucks, use a generator, etc. They are not necessary for a small documentary crew to film in the street, if that crew would cause no more disruption than a typical news crew.

While the process is your normal red-tape, be warned, you need at least 5 business days (and beware of holidays!) to get the first part, which is habitation to work, showing that you have insurance for crew and passersby–this is the hard part, and it is recommended to contract a local fixer or local production company to handle this. Then it is at least another 5 days to get permission for the specific location. And of course, all in Spanish!

The form that you need to fill out:

http://estatico.buenosaires.gov.ar/areas/produccion/industrias/baset/archivos/FGENERAL.pdf

“The Hooker & the Transvestite” in pre-production

The clock is ticking. . . we have less than 15 days to produce, shoot, edit, score, color correct and do the final sound mix for our sequel to the award winning “The Hooker & the Transvestite” (La puta y la travesti) and upload it to the jury round of the filmaka.com “Hard times” contest.

So, what do you have to do before you shoot? It´s an endless list, but here are some of the basics in a fiction shoot:

1) Write the script. That seems obvious, but before you have the script locked, you have no idea what locations you need, the lights you need, the crew you need, etc. And if you want to get the best people on board, you better make it good.

2) Get your key people on board. These are the heads of each area: production, direction (ast. director and script supervisor), photography, sound, art. Each head is responsible for finding their crew members and creating lists of the materials they will need. Production is then responsible for making sure these requests fit in the overall budget and coordinating the different areas.

3) Cast. We decided to continue working with the same actors, but our lead actress is in Spain. So we decided to replace her with the very talented Lola Berthet, who at 28 has played many supporting and comic roles on TV and films, and is quite famous for her original look. The “drunk” will be played by Luis Machín, a talented actor most known for his roles as the bad guy.

Lola Berthet strikes a pose. She can also do absurd comedy.

Luis Machín, a great character actor

4) Find the location, and have all the key department heads look at it and see how the lights will be set up, if the sound will be usable, and logistical concerns (is there a bathroom nearby?)

5) Get permission for that location. See my other post on how long that can take!!!!

6) Rehearse with the actors. For this short film, two rehearsals will be fine.

7) The script is the guide, but in a fiction shoot a storyboard (literally a sketch of each scene as it will be seen by the camera) is created as a guide for the technicians, and also so the editor can see if a key shot is missing.

Maps of each set. These aerial views show where the camera goes, where the actors and key set pieces are located. Mainly used to keep the technicians from getting lost on the set (which happens after 10 hours of shooting in the freezing cold).

As you can see, a lot of planning is done to make sure that in the heat of shooting nothing is forgotten or taken too lightly. Some people say this stifles creativity, but I think of it as enabling the director to be creative because he or she knows that every detail has been thought of beforehand.

Filming Tonight, and everything is ready

There is nothing like going into a complicated production (crew of 25, night shoot, 20 lights, travelings, etc) and the day before realizing that everything is taken care of.  Right now our production chief is labeling boxes, and instead of calling frantically is smiling. She was even able to sleep 8 hours last night!

We are so excited to have been able to have such good people working on “The Hooker & the Transvestite: Episode 2″ for Filmaka.com.  As a director, it is a great feeling to know that all I have to focus on is directing, and not resolving problems.

Local Production Fixer Tip: You can save time or money, not both

Argentina offers a wide range of locations and tons of state-of-the art film and video equipment, but for you to take advantage of this in a cost-effective way, the key is giving your local fixer the most time possible. For example, there are tons of Sony Z-1 cameras in the market place and can be rented for a low price (as well as other cameras such as the Sony XDcam, Red 1, etc) BUT as there are so many productions going on they need to be secured well in advance to get a good price.

By extention, the same goes for setting up interviews. Argentines put a lot of empahsis on personal connections and contacts. If the local fixer can visit the interviewee a few times before the shoot, build trust and talk about the project, the subject will be more willing to participate than someone calling a day before and promising foreign TV exposure.

Film Production Company in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Located in Buenos Aires, Argentina, San Telmo Productions is a film and video production company owned and operated by Argentinean and U.S. filmmakers, ensuring the right mix between local know-how and an understanding of the needs of international markets and clients.

Co-owned and operated by filmmakers Ginger Gentile, a New Yorker and graduate of Columbia University, and Gabriel Balanovsky, who is a registered producer with INCAA (Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales), the Argentine Film board.

We have worked for multinationals such as Pottery Barn and Diagio, as well as local clothing lines like Delaostia. We have filmed all over Argentina. We have provided production services to create traditional commercials as well as have been contracted to create non-traditional ads: web videos, documentaries-as-ads and branded fiction.

San Telmo Productions can help you take advantage of Argentina´s low costs and century long history of quality filmmaking.

San Telmo Productions knows what international and local clients want from video and film productions: on-time delivery, clear budgets, proven technicians and creative problem solving. We work with the best technicians and equipment without passing on the costs to our clients, thanks to our low overhead.

Owners Ginger Gentile and Gabriel Balanovsky have worked in a variety of positions in the film industry, and know the best technicians not just because they have hired them, but also because they have worked side by side with them. They know who works well and who doesn´t.

San Telmo Productions has close relationships with studios, rental houses and other suppliers. This allows us to get lower prices than other production companies.

We understand that a main reason for choosing Argentina is the cost advantage, and we guarantee to never offer “Hollywood” prices to our clients.

Offer packages, can take care of the complete process, from travel arrangements, hotel reservations, transport to pre-production, location scouting, filming in HD or film, and post production, including sound mixing at the award winning Ñandú Sound studio.

San Telmo Productions offers film production services in Argentina, video production, and equipment rental.

“Making of The Hooker & The Transvestite” Episode 2

A great job was done by David Castre Bravo. Actors Lola Berthet, Luis Machín and Luís Aponte, a crew of 25 and DoP Jorge Crespo braved freezing cold temperatures to capture a bit of film magic. The set electricians began at 4pm and finished at 8am! Lights were provided by Ajaf Cinema and sound equipment by Ñandú Sonido, who also co-produced the short film.

Now on Twitter! @argentinafilms

Filming in Argentina, the official blog of San Telmo Productions, is now on twitter! Get the inside scoop on what producing movies, documentaries, and commericals is like in Argentina from an expat perspective.

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http://twitter.com/argentinafilms